Breaking Barriers
by Lady Kaika
Summary: How was she supposed to mend seven years of trauma? It wasn’t fair, to her or to him. But he was trying to deny it, he was still trying to make this outburst about that little girl who just lost her parents. A GV one-shot.


Basically, I just had this plot bunny running around in my head for a while, so I finally gave in and wrote it. Honestly, I still think it's crap but I posted it anyway. I am kinda proud of it though, only because I actually _wrote_ it, instead of just thinking about it a lot and forgetting it.

Anyway, in my opinion there is too much of a Gohan/Videl fic shortage, so I decided to contribute to the cause. If anyone could give me a site with Gohan/Videl stuff (or even Goku/Chichi fics, I think there's such a wonderful dynamic between them…and Goku's really dreamy and stuff…) or some good fics about them I'd really appreciate it.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there'd be a whole saga devoted to Videl and Gohan.

Breaking Barriers

_Lady Kaika_

"_I killed them, okay?_ Can't you see that? I killed him- them…" she looked up at his slip. So that was what all of this was about. "I meant, I killed _them_." He said the last part slowly, as if he was assuring her. In reality, it was himself he was trying to convince.

Her voice was soft, reassuring. She didn't know how else to handle this anyway. "It wasn't your fault…none of this was."

"If I had gotten here sooner-" Oh, Dende, that look on his face. How was she supposed to mend seven years of trauma? It wasn't fair, to her or to him. But he was trying to deny it, he was still trying to make this outburst about that little girl who just lost her parents.

They had been sparring a few miles away from his house when her communicator had beeped. The Chief's voice had come through with information about a hostage situation. She and Gohan had blasted off as soon as they heard. They reached the aged apartment building just in time to see a large explosion rock the structure from the fourth floor. The only survivor had been the young girl who had been protected by her parents. That was when Gohan had surrendered to his guilt trip.

Her voice rose despite her attempts to keep it even. "That's not what we're talking about and you know it." He looked away from her, refusing to show her the look in his eyes. She stepped in front of him, physically pulling his head around to face her. "You were a child Gohan. You were eleven years old. What did they expect?"

And it was true. He had been just a kid. Sure, by eleven Gohan had experienced more utter sadness and sheer joy than most people ever would in their entire lifetimes. It still didn't mean what he had to do was fair.

"They expected me to do my _job._ And why shouldn't they have? I was raised to do this Videl. I was raised to help people and to use my power for the good of Earth." _Oh Kami, oh _Dende_, he _believes_ this, he thinks it's true, he really thinks it's all his fault. Oh, Gohan…_ "And see what happened when I was given my chance. I destroyed the most powerful man in the universe!"

She wouldn't stand for this anymore, "You didn't kill your father, Gohan." That got the press' attention.

The crime-fighters hadn't left Satan City after the blast. In fact, they hadn't moved since Gohan had pulled the girl from the burning apartment and given her to the waiting paramedics. Once their fight had started, the media went crazy. Cameras were going off in a scene reminiscent of the Budokai when her father stepped into the ring. After all, it wasn't everyday the most beloved heroes of Satan City (after Hercule, of course) were engrossed in a heated argument.

Videl tried calming herself and taking a few deep breaths before she looked back to Gohan. "There are events that happen in life that can't be controlled, not even by you or your friends. There are things that happen because they have to. Your father dying was just one of those." What else could she say? How else was she supposed to make this better?

"So? I still could have stopped it. I still could have prevented it." The worst part about Gohan was that he was almost as stubborn as she was. Once he had an idea he stuck with it and didn't let it go until the proof against it was mooning him straight in his face.

"Gohan-" She started to speak without really knowing what to say. He saved her the trouble of searching for words.

"Good bye Videl" And that scared her. His eyes hardened and he rolled his shoulders back standing at his full height, staring at her levelly. He repeated himself, "Goodbye." His feet started to leave the ground. And it hit her. He was _leaving. _Not only that, but he was leaving_ her. For good._

"Oh no you don't." She too left the ground for a moment and pulled on his leg, forcing him back to the argument. "Son Gohan stop it."

She sent him a glare that was up there with his mother's best and while he was too shocked to do anything besides let out a surprised "Wha-" she over-powered him with her hands on his shoulders.

"That. What you always do. Run away, hide and wait till the troubles blows over." Her voice was hard, she was tired of his crap.

"I don't-" And for a moment. He was that same Gohan she had met when he first came to school. Naïve, innocent Gohan, too smart for his own good. But it was only for a moment, and as that second passed he switched disguises.

"Yes you do, all of the time. You hide behind masks. Some of naiveté and some of heroism. You hide behind your mask of Saiyaman and innocent little Gohan, all the while waiting for things to get too hard so you can turn around and run. Well I've had enough Son Gohan. Stop hiding, start trusting people, they're not all that bad. They're not all trying to hurt you. As a matter of fact, why don't you start right _now!_" She ripped his helmet off of his head and there was loud flurry of cameras and reporters gasping, trying to speak as fast as possible as Saiyaman was finally unmasked. Gohan's face had hardened too long ago to notice to press. She didn't let his expression or the cameramen interrupt her and kept talking. "Start letting people in for a change. Let them help you," And then she said what she had really meant. "let _me_ help you."

He took one look at her and his barriers broke. The mask crumbled but he still held himself high. "I can't do that Videl." He responded, completely sincere. "Don't you see? Everyone near me dies. And some of them-" His voice started to break. He couldn't handle this "Some of them we can't bring back anymore."

"So?" She said that as is she didn't care. And too be honest, she didn't, not really. "I'll take my chances. I've already died once, it wasn't that bad."

He shook his head, he would _not_ let her do that. "I can't let you do that Videl. I can't let you hurt yourself like that, not again." But then, was he really talking about her being hurt? "So I'm leaving. I'm going far away and this way I can never hurt you. It's for the best, trust me." The finality in his voice scarred her. He was serious when he needed to be and his voice left no room for more games or arguments.

"You think it'll help? You really think I'll be any better off if you just leave?" Her voice rose to the point where the reporters standing at the line of yellow Police tape could hear her clearly. "You think I could handle something like that? Well I'll tell you something Son Gohan. I can't, ok? Are you happy?" Her voice broke. Now her mask was crumbling, today was not a good day for disguises. "I would _never_ survive you leaving like that, NEVER." She looked into his eyes. Faced with the prospect of him leaving, her survival instincts kicked in. She couldn't let him leave, it was not an option. In the interest of her sanity and general welfare, he had to stay. She needed him.

"It's for your own good Videl! Just accept it! Please, for once just let me do this." His voice had been angry, but he sobered and his hands clutched at her arms, trying to convey his feelings through her somehow with his touch. It wasn't working. "Please"

"No. And that's final."

Whatever was left of his façade was gone. Now, he only wanted her to understand, to fully realize the gravity of his situation. People died when they were near him. It just happened. "Videl…I couldn't bear to see you hurt. You've already died once and that was hard enough. But if you die again…I don't know if I could survive that. I couldn't, I'm not strong enough to handle that, not if I knew that I could have done something to save you. That I could have helped-"

"Don't make decisions for me, Gohan. Let me do that on my own, I'm perfectly capable of that." This was her Satan Pride kicking in. It was one of the few things she was glad to have inherited from her father, "I want to be near you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be. I will not let you push me away or push me out. So I'm here Gohan, and I'm not going anywhere." She gave him her hardest glare but he resisted. He pulled away, shaking his head and took a step back from her.

"Videl just GO!" His face was angry, filled with rage that came with his Saiyan ancestry. "Just save yourself, ok." His hands on her arms squeezed them tighter and she fought the reaction to wince.

"No, Gohan! And I refuse to argue in circles like this with you. I'm staying and that is final." There would be no arguing with her at this point. Videl Satan had made her decision. Gohan should just accept it now and try to cope. "Learn to take some chances Gohan. Take that risk for once."

"You want me to jump, Videl? You want me to take a leap of faith?" Dende, he was mad. He looked like he lost it, like something snapped inside of him. _A lot like he must have looked fighting Cell,_ she thought.

She only answered with a solid "Yes."

"Fine."

And so he kissed her. Hard.

He didn't care about the cameras, he'd forgotten about them anyway. This was just him and her and that risk she was talking about. But, Dende, it felt good to hold her like this. To hold her and never have to let her go. His arms were around her and her body was pressed against his. And he knew this was where he belonged. But he didn't dwell on it, he pulled away and started talking.

"You can't die Videl. I won't let you," His voice was softer now, but heated as if he was forcing all of the emotion he was feeling out all at once, "I can't allow myself to hurt you. But if you're near me you'll die, that's that way things work around me. So leave Videl. Leave and never come back." He voice was so desperate and he sounded like he meant the words. But he was letting her go, his arms only squeezed her tighter and his forehead remained firmly pressed against her shoulder. Actually, she didn't know how he managed that, he was so much taller than her after all. "Go live in that mansion with your father, he loves you, he'll take care of you. Just stay far away from me."

"I can't do that Gohan. I can't, you already know that." She dislodged her hands from his hair and from under the spandex of his Saiyaman getup (how _had_ that gotten there anyway?) and used them to make him look her in the eye "There is nothing you could do or say that could make leave you." She almost laughed "Definitely not now."

In response, he kissed her again. This time slower. He just wanted to show her how much it meant that she would stay, but how angry she was that she wouldn't just do what he wanted her to. But then again, that was why he loved her. She didn't listen to orders and didn't take any crap from anyone. She did exactly what she wanted to do. And she wouldn't ask for permission.

His hand rested on the small of her back while his other arm kept her body firmly against his. He adamantly refused to let her go. But now he would be content to die a happy, fulfilled man because he got this one chance with her. Then he broke the kiss, suddenly very aware of the many eyes upon him. Her eyes were still closed and she had the vaguest of smiles upon her face. He interrupted her thoughts with his own.

"Uh, Videl? You do know that we just did that in front of a whole bunch of camera crews and reporters, right?"

She paused and gave a one-word response "Crap."

"Yea, that." He could only imagine what awaited him, from his mother to her father and everyone in between. They'd have a very busy, very loud next few days.

Apparently Videl wasn't going to let this bog her down. She opened her eyes and grinned at him "So, Superman." He snorted inwardly, he was _much_ cooler that Superman, stronger too. "Mind getting us out of here?"

"Saiyaman, Videl, it's _Saiyaman_. And what happened to being an independent woman who didn't rely on anyone but herself?" He wasn't going to lift off just yet.

"I'm a bit tired, I'll just have to grant you the honor of carrying me." She smiled and let out a small yawn for show and wrapped her arms more securely around his neck.

He rose from the ground "I'd be delighted."

Of course, this wasn't the end of their problems. Neither were fooled into that one. Hell, there was a long way to go really and they'd probably have this argument again. But they'd get there. Where? They weren't really sure but they were on their way nonetheless. And sooner or later they'd be fine. Life wouldn't be perfect, they weren't really expecting it to be. Semi-normal would enough. But it would be okay because they had each other. And that was all that really mattered anyway right?

…ok so what do you think. I know my writing style is weird, but I honestly just couldn't change it. I'd really appreciate any critiques or suggestions you might have.

My next fic will be out when I finally get off my butt and start writing. Cya.

Lady Kaika


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